Communications
magazine
30
Leicestershire police are putting their
faith in Sennheiser technology to
provide clear, reliable call quality in the
UK’s first wireless 999 call centre.
Following a three month trial, it
ordered 420 DW Series Bluetooth
headsets and 120 base units for the
call centre and since then has acquired
additional units for its mobile video van.
The DW series was chosen for its
all-day comfort, durability, clarity and
reliability – vital qualities at the best of
times but essential when taking 999 calls
from members of the public who might be
in distress and in need of clear instructions.
For Jane Timms, purchasing manager
at Leicestershire Police, the trial allayed
any fears she might have had about
implementing a wireless solution.
She said: “We had to be certain that
a wireless headset solution would be
completely reliable. In a situation where a
caller is reporting an on-going emergency
with life or death consequences, we
cannot have a communications failure.
The trial ran perfectly and overcame our
initial reservations, so we went ahead
with the order.”
The DW Series comes with a number of
features to optimise call quality, including
an ultra noise-cancelling microphone and
patented ActiveGard technology, which
protects operators from malicious calls.
“It’s a great reassurance to know that
the hearing of our operators is protected
against acoustic shocks, and noise-
cancelling is a definite benefit to our
operators because it allows the caller to
hear them clearly without the need for
repetition, which is vital in any emergency
situation,” Jane explained.
Robust wireless functionality and quick-
charge batteries enable users to enjoy
greater freedom of movement without
impacting signal strength. The headsets
have a line-of-sight range of 180 metres
and deliver 12 hours of talk time from a
one-hour charge, or three hours from just
10 minutes.
Quick pairing with base stations
supports Leicestershire police’s flexible
working practices by making it easy
for workers to ‘hot-desk’ from any PC
workstation. It also helps with staff training
and monitoring, as four DW headsets can
connect to a single base unit simultaneously.
A Sound Investment
The ability of an instructor to train up
to three operators at a time is expected
to improve training efficiency, helping
Leicestershire police achieve a quick
return on their investment, which is fully
future-proofed due to the headsets’
support for PC softphones.
Leciestershire Police are using Sennheiser DW headsets
in the UK’s first wireless 999 call centre
Independent telecoms consultant
Dave Millett outlines tricks of the trade
designed to trap you into paying more
for your phone calls
Like all industries, telecoms has a language
of its own and tricks of the trade that
can sucker business owners into making
expensive mistakes. Common ones include:
n
Capped call prices. These appear to be
good value for money but usually have a
high minimum charge and are likely to cost
more than conventional call charges for
anyone whose typical call duration is less
than three times the national average; and
n
Bundled calls, e.g. 500 landline minutes
for £5 per user. These are only a good deal
if you go up to the limit every month,
including summer holidays and Christmas.
Not using all the minutes can dramatically
raise the actual cost of each call.
It is essential to undertake a detailed
analysis of your invoices to see whether
such deals have any benefit. In doing so,
bear in mind that the advertised price is
not always what you end up paying: it is
often only the beginning.
To avoid paying more than you should
always ask the following questions and
get answers in writing:
1.
Are call charges billed per second or
per minute? The latter can add up to 20%
to your bill.
2.
To how many decimal places are
calls billed or are they rounded up? Again,
the latter could increase the bill by 10%.
3.
Get a full list of all call prices. Cheap
calls to UK landlines and mobiles may
be offset by higher prices to 0844, 0845
and 0870 numbers and to international
destinations.
4.
Initial discounts on line rentals need
to be offset by the full price and find out
how long the discount lasts. Calculate the
average price over the contract life.
5.
Watch out for longer term deals
with cheap or free line rentals and fixed
call prices for the contract period. These
can be expensive, as call costs generally
fall: about three years ago the average
cost of calling a mobile was over 10p now
it is around half that.
6.
How long is the contract for? A
favourite trick is to leave the minimum
term option box blank and state in the
small print that ‘if blank the contract is
deemed to be 60 months’.Watch out for
this and never lock yourself in long-term.
7.
What is the notice period? If you
employ less than 10 people, automatic
rollover contracts are illegal.
8.
How are penalties calculated if you
cancel?Watch out for suppliers that want
to charge for remaining rentals and calls
you ‘would’ have made. This breaches
Ofcom guidance.
9.
Have you got a full set of terms and
conditions? Some companies just refer
you to their website, which means they
can change without you being aware.
To find out about other tricks of
the trade, read
The 7 Deadly Sins of
Telecomson the Equinox Communications
blog at
Don’t Be Duped!
If you employ less than
10 people, automatic rollover
contracts are illegal.
